Prevailing Justice
by poleyka
Summary: Sequel to EOAC. Ann and Cliff are prisoners on a boat. But they soon realize that this is not an ordinary adventure.
1. Meet 'n' Greet part 1

**A/N: Helloooo! Here it is...DA SEQUEL! Dun dun dun! :) I'm not quite sure on a theme song for this, so I picked a random one. Theme song is "Undone" by FFH. I think it kinda described Cliff's whole feeling in this predicament. I FINALLY GOT MY CONNECTION TO WORK! I had my scriptor disabled on my browser. That's why it was jacked! LoL. :P ENJOY! Or I'll **_**make**_** you enjoy! :D **

**Chapter 1: Meet 'n' Greet part 1**

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. So here I was in a tiny room about 8 feet long and 6 feet wide. There was nothing in here! No furniture, no paint. Just a metal wall and floor staring back coldly.

I tried to shake the tiredness fighting its way to conquer me. Finally shutting my eyes open as tight as they would go, I then opened them wide, fighting every last ounce of weariness.

As soon as I woke up fully, I looked in horror to see Ann laying beside me. No, not a normal sleeping position; but let's just say I was in shock. She looked as if she had just been thrown on the ground beside me. There was a similar red mark on her neck to my own. I felt my neck to see if there actually was any blood spot. Yep, there was. It wasn't just my imagination.

"Ann...?" My voice sounded tired, cracked, and squeaky.

Ann flinched her head around and her eyes flew open. She inhaled deeply. I obviously spooked her awake. She got up and groaned in a manish way.

"Wha-" the weariness grabbed hold of Ann and she fell back against the wall. I caught her before her legs buckled from beneath her.

"You're weak. Just rest," I shushed. Ann gently fell back into my arms. I leaned down slowly on the ground as I cradled her in my lap. Her head rested on my shoulders. Ann's hair smelled sweet; like baked apples and flowers.

I probably looked as equally bad, if not worse, as Ann. Her red hair that was usually worn up was down and matted in sweat. The airy, light blue shirt she was wearing was dirty and her jeans had holes in them. Her face still looked gentle and sweet, though. I no doubt resembled her disheveled appearance.

Ann trembled slightly in my arms. Her lips murmered inaudibly, like a child in deep sleep. She felt cold. I wished I had a blanket in this room. The only warmth came from the sun shining above through the high, barred window.

I set Ann down gently from my hold. Lucky for me, she was a heavy sleeper. I got up and tried to look out of the window, but it was just too high. I jumped slightly, careful not to wake Ann. I instead made a clanking sound on the floor.

Once more I tried, then I did succeed. I grabbed hold of the bars and lifted myself up to see through.

The sight that withdrew from my eyes was a frightening one.

A vast body of water surrounded us. The sea salt sprayed into my eyes, but it didn't bother me. Just ocean was around me. A blue, lifeless ocean. Where are we?

Suddenly, the room jerked a bit, knocking Ann entirely awake. Not so weak anymore, she got up and looked absolutely ticked. I was almost thrown off of my grip on the window, but managed to stay right where I was. For a moment or two, it felt as though the ground was floating. It was bobbing.

"We're on a boat," I said suddenly, mostly to myself as I just realised it. Ann looked at me curiously.

"A boat...?" Ann said. "How the heck did we get here?"

I climbed down from the window. "I don't know."

Ann put her hands on her hips and scoffed and disbelief. "Well, this is just hunky-dory." Ann still had her notable sarcasm.

"_What_ happened?" she added. "Weren't we just walkin' home, like, a _millisecond_ ago?"

"I know, it's...it just doesn't seem very real," I stated.

"Yep. I know what you mean, Cliff. Anyway, where is Kai?"

"Do you really think I can answer all these questions? Why are you asking me?" I snapped.

Ann narrowed her icy blue gaze. "Golly, hun. I know you're grouchy and all because we're in this entire situation, but that's no reason to treat me bitterly!"

Okay, she was right. I was grouchy and tired and completely beyond pissed off about whatever happened. Anyone would be.

"You're right," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm pissed, but I have no reason to treat you badly."

Ann smiled. She was a forgiving person after hearing an apology. Well...most of the time. I guess it depended on the person.

"Maybe someone will come for us soo-" I was cut short by the door creaking open. A burly-looking man stood there.

He made a gesture with his hand for us to come over to him. Ann and I reluctanly did as we were told. The man flourished out two pairs of handcuffs which he quickly put on us. Ann's face tightened as he put them on her tiny wrists. It was obviously too tight for her. My wrists were callused and bruised from the winery anway, so I didn't really feel a thing.

The man then lead us down a tiny hall with several other people being led out of rooms right next to ours. So we _were_ prisoners. I searched the crowd as quickly as I could, but Kai was not in sight.

We headed down the narrow hallways, around corners, with other prisoners being lead behind us and in front for what seemed like forever. Ann gave me a look that said, _this is exhausting. Why are we trudging on forever? _I just shrugged. I realised we weren't allowed to speak when a guard scolded someone for talking.

When it finally came to a stop, we were lead outside to be welcomed by a strong sea mist. The sea salt blew in my face, but it was so minor I barely noticed. I looked around. We were on a ship after all. The blue ocean surrounding us looked very peaceful in the warm July sun. Ann's face was one of shock. I looked around. Everyone's jaws dropped and they looked fearful.

But, the boat we were on itself was beautiful. It was painted a bright white, obviously new. They had light brown wooden planks and railing. It was similiar to that of a pirate ship, but had the looks of a sailboat and a cruise liner. It was deceptively large, too, like that of a large ocean liner. It _looked_ like we were on one of those vacations, but so far I could tell it was already going to be a living hell.

The guard that lead us the whole way made everyone come to a stop with their individual guards. I was guessing he was the lead guard. He took out a large stack of papers...no, no..._signs _out of a nearby crate/shelf/table thing. He handed them out to all of the guards. I saw they had large black numbers on them. He bent down once more with a large clipboard and pen.

"All right," the leader said in a gruff, grunting type of voice. "All of you prisoners will be identified according to number, mostly. And the number matches your name. Don't ask why. That's the way the boss wanted."

Wait, boss? Who was the boss? I had so many obvious questions.

"Anyway," the lead guard continued. "I'm going to call out names with this here clipboard. And 'ya better respond in a loud and clear voice that I can hear. Don't matter how scared ya are right now, okay? The boss has seperate business with all of you. Mostly harmless, though. None of ya is gonna die, now. This shouldn't take long..."

He paused for a short time, taking slow and heavy breaths. "Okay. First off, Cliff LaRue?"

I stepped up to this giant man. "Um, r-right here, sir?" He looked like he wanted to laugh at me.

He handed me my sign and a sort of portfolio;

_Name: Clifford Cody LaRue._

_Date of Birth: Saturday, 5/6/1989 *age is 18*_

_From: Detroit, Michigan, U.S._

_Eye Color: Blue-brown_

_Hair: Brown_

_Height: 5'11_

_Mother: Elaine Rebecca LaRue (maiden name: Dereoux, occupation: homemaker, born: Tuesday, 12/23/1958. Death caused from suffocation by a mix of lung disease and pneumonia.)_

_Father: Antoine Jacques LaRue (whereabouts unknown, occupation was chef)_

_Sibling(s): Sister- Elisabeth Irene Brach. (born: Friday, 7/25/1975. Age is 31. Married with three children. Her whereabouts are classified by the use of Boss only.)_

_Current State: Healthy_

_Identification Number: P527640 - LaRue_

I drew my eyes over where the whereabouts of my sister were. The "Boss" was here, wasn't he? So, he must know where Libby is! I had to find a way to ask him. She might have been closer than I thought.

But those kinds of thoughts could be for later. I opened the rest of my ears to hear many other names being called out and signs being passed out around the crowds. I put my numbers on my shirt. Ann tugged on my sleeve.

"He's not looking," she whispered and lead me to see the guard with her eyes. I saw he was way behind us handing out signs and calling out names.

"How does he know so much about us...?" Ann asked and handed me her portfolio;

_Name: Annaliese Cecily LaRue (maiden is McCoy)_

_Date of Birth: Saturday, 6/17/1989 *age is 18*_

_From: Mineral Town, Kansas, U.S._

_Eye Color: Blue_

_Hair: Red_

_Height: 5'6_

_Mother: Jane Carrie McCoy (maiden name: Kelley, occupation: homemaker, born: Thursday, 10/29/1957. Died on 9/5/1998. Death caused from aneurysm.)_

_Father: Doug Henry McCoy. (at his hometown. Runs an inn. Born on Monday, 1/11/1960.)_

_Sibling(s): half-brother from father's first marriage- Gray Dominic McCoy. (born: Thursday, 12/6/1979. Age is 27. Unmarried. He is at his hometown and works at the blacksmith with his maternal grandfather.)_

_Current State: Healthy - with child_

_Identification number: P527641 - LaRue_

"I don't know. That's a good question," I whispered back. It really was a good question. How _did _he know so much? That was almost frightening. I shook that thought away and clutched onto my papers.

"Holy gemini..." Ann said loudly now, forgetting to whisper. I turned my head to see where she was looking. I held myself back from causing an outburst as well.

In front of us was the most vicious-looking woman I'd ever seen. She was beautiful...in a antagonistic type of way. Her hair was straight, to her shoulders, and a light blond color. Her blue eyes looked fiercely out against the crowd. Her face was long and she had defined features that fit her well for a woman in her thirties. She stood a tall six foot, looking out. Luckily, Ann's outburst went unnoticed. I believe the woman in front of us was concentrating on something. I had a feeling it involved us.

"Hey!" the woman suddenly yelled. Her booming voice was one of a mature, grown woman. But her voice could make your ears go numb. All of the guards and voices of the people came to an abrupt halt.

"Okay, thank you," she said, and paused. "Hmm. My name is Clara Dawn WIllerby. I'll be supervising all of you prisoners. Everything will be explained shortly, so hang in tight."

She paused once more, and then continued. "Like my good friend Max explained earlier, you are all here for very good reasons. I am sorry if we frightened you by throwing sleeping darts at your necks, stopping everything you were once doing, and you found yourselves in a cell. That was, I believe, unnecessary. But, it was a part of the very strict rules of our boss. Once you all are called to business with him, he will be glad to answer any questions you may have. But just remember that ignorance is not bliss and stupid questions are uncalled for on this ship. Thank you all for your time."

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	2. Meet 'n' Greet part 2

Chapter 2: Meet 'n' Greet part two

"...There's going to be a bit of seperation between you all, as well," Clara continued. "I can't tell you much more; as it is classified."

Seperation? Wait, how is this going to work?

"But, we're going to start by seperating men and women from each other," Clara said. At those words, Ann was ripped right away. Somehow, I didn't even see it, but she escaped my view of her and was farther away. I suppose I was glued to the spot hanging on to every word for my own safety. Words couldn't describe how amazingly scared I was.

The guards didn't hesitate ripping me away with the other men through a sort of port in the boat. I desperately searched the crowd. It took me a good five seconds before I spotted Ann's red braid.

"_Ann_," I breathed. I watched hopelessly as she was half trampled and roughly dragged by guards to an opposite port.

Us men were taken down below back into the dank hallways. It had a strong pungent smell I couldn't describe. Why was this happening? Why?

I closed my eyes, still being forced to walk on. I bit my lip to the point tears shed. This was all a bad dream...a horrible nightmare that I'd wake up from soon. But someone suddenly tripped and their foot kicked the back of my knee, causing myself to lose balance. This was reality. I got up quickly, for fear of being stepped on by men three times my size.

Once we came to a certain hallway that was a little wider now, I could see doors. I expected nothing to be in the rooms, like last time. One by one, men were literally thrown into these rooms as guards opened up doors and shoved them inside. They treated these people like vermin crawling around, as if they were all inferior.

I could only wonder if Ann's little hallway somewhere on this boat was as bad as this situation. When it came to my turn, a rough hand gripped tightly on the back of my shirt and threw me inside. I half fell, half slipped on the wooden floor with a thud. My hands were burning from the sudden impact. I got up slowly and looked around. It was dreary. There was a tiny cot in the middle with dark brown sheets that radiated a sharp smell. I felt disgusting, the room felt disgusting.

I tried to calm myself down by eagerly listening to the clamor of voices still lingering outside of my door. I walked around and searched another side of the room, hidden by a wall just to give myself something to do.

But, guess who was neatly perched in a chair? KAI! My instincts automatically told me to jerk back. My heart couldn't have been any more startled.

"What? K-Kai?" I trembled. He smirked back.

" 'Sup, man? Looks like fate paid me a visit," Kai greeted, with elbows on the arms of the chair and a hand playing with a suspicious chain hanging from the ceiling.

I shook my head in disbelief. "What are you doing in such a nice chair? When the room is crappy?"

"Well," Kai pursed his lips. "The old man gave me this chair. You see, a little white lie can actually go a long way," he nodded to himself with bitter content.

"What old man?" I inquired.

"Cliff, bro, you never saw him?" he stared. I shook my head. Kai tightened his grip on the hanging chain and shifted around in the chair. "Then, let me do you the honor of explaining. When I woke up in this sort of, alien-looking prison place made outta chrome, I was dragged out. This guard guy, Max, was his name, he said I resembled a prince."

Kai stuck his head high and laughed. "Could you believe that? Total bull! But, of course, you know I had to improvise. So, I put on a phony accent and pretended that they kidnapped me, Prince Kai the Most Beloved And High From The Far East!"

I wanted to gag, throw up, and repeat at such self vanity. Deep down, Kai was a good guy, at times could be vain, but hard-working. "You _lied_ to authority?" I said.

"Yep."

I stood motionless with crossed arms and a blank look. "Wow," was all I said in monotone. Kai just laughed loudly. "...so who was the old guy?"

"Ugh!" Kai groaned impatiently. "I'm getting to that part. Anyway, he isn't "old", maybe around fifty or so. He believed my whole facade and gave me this chair as some comfort away from home. He apologized and said I could return on land shortly! Awesome, right?"

I uncrossed my arms and scoffed. "I hate you. I hate this place. I hate this whole predicament, Kai!"

"Oh, c'mon. You don't really hate me. And hate is such a strong...accurate word," Kai looked down at his feet in thought and then looked up at me again. "The boss is someone you'll hate even more."

"Is he dangerous?"

Kai stuck a hand in the air. "Pfft! The guy's a total mambi-pambi! He looks quite mean, and could sure be dangerous if he wanted to be. But he's like every other ruler in total power; a coward. He's a coward and I could sense it. He's putting on a facade just like I am to escape. But, I, am not a bad guy."

"Oh," I said. "Well, I know you're not a bad guy. But he is?"

Kai looked at me with a solemn look cross his face and his voice lowered. "He just murdered three people four hours ago, Cliff. They didn't obey his ludicrous orders. What does that tell you? He's much more capable of evil than you think."

"Why are we here? What is it that you're hiding?" I inquired, feeling anger boil up inside.

Kai jumped up from his chair in self-defense, and suddenly waved his arms around in exasperation.

"What am_ I _hiding? What are _you_ hiding, Cliff? _Huh_? _Tell me_. Because I know just about as much as you do. In case you weren't briefed a while back, we'll find out everything about our own business here in a few."

"How long do we hav-" the door behind me burst open with Max standing in the hall.

"He botherin' you, Prince Kai?" Max growled. I inwardly rolled my eyes.

"Oh," Max said. "Boss wants to see you, LaRue. It's about your business here."

Without a word, he took me by the arms as Kai had the biggest look of a jerk, kind of grin cross his mouth. He waved goodbye arrogantly.

"_Traitor_," I mouthed silently. Kai knew more about everything than he was saying.

_**Next: Chapter 3, Mystery Woman**_


End file.
